The Legends of Trionall: Part 1, Setting the Stage
by xyrule
Summary: Part1:Unova has been destroyed shortly after the events of Black/White movies. The Pokemon and people from Unova migrated to the other regions. A certain Ice-Type is angry at the world. Rated for minor character death. Altoshipping. Pt.2: Ash is found comatose by two legendaries, and they are all propelled into an epic battle. Rated for gore. Summary would be longer, but limited.
1. Part 1

Storyline 1:

Setting the Stage

Part 1:The Revenge of The Ice King


	2. The Revenge of the Ice King

Every story has an end. But every story also has a beginning. This one about a particular Psychic-Type Kanto Legendary starts in Johto, in Mount Quena.

Hatred. It was all Mewtwo felt toward Team Rocket. And he had felt it toward all humans, until one stood up and helped him when he needed a friend. He watched the 13-year-old Ash Ketchum walking away from his new home, and he remembered that day, in Kanto. Ash had run into Mewtwo and Mew's battle, sacrificing himself to stop the battle. Ash had died that day. But the tears of all the Pokemon, original and clone, revived the dead human. This had not gone unnoticed by Mewtwo. Not only did he understand then that he could make himself recognized, but also saw that his clones had been necessary to bring Ash to life. He left then, searching for a new home.

_Ash. I will always be with you._ he thought, sending Psychic waves outward. _Should you ever be in need of assisstance, I am only a thought away._ Mewtwo then looked at his clone family. Nidoqueen2 and Rhyhorn2 were watching their children, while Vulpix2 was playing with Bulbasaur2. Yet again, Mewtwo wondered what it would be like, if he had someone that stayed by his side, someone that he could always count on. Sure, he felt this way toward the clones, but he wanted something entirely different. Little did Mewtwo know, but he was hoping for companionship, or, in an extreme case, love. He remembered when Ash had carried him, bruised and half-dead, and thrown him into that lake, the one with healing waters.

Mewtwo hadn't expected an answer to his thought signal. _Thank you, Mewtwo. And remember: Should _you_ need someone to talk to, I'm right inside your memories._ Mewtwo smiled. He would most likely never forget that Ash had changed his view of the world permanently. He decided to take Ash up on the offer. Ash had helped him, and Mewtwo rewarded him and his friends, by allowing them to keep their memories.

Three years later...

_I may be able to come along with you, Ash. Clone Caves is perfectly protected. I'm sure the clones can take care of themselves. I have always wanted to know what it is like to have a Master of my own._ Mewtwo sent the thought, teleporting himself to the surface of the mountain.

_If you really want to. But I won't capture you. I don't believe in capturing Legendaries, and you are a Legendary, clone or not. Personally, I think you're lucky to be a clone. I never got to be an advanced upgrade. You did. Lucky, lucky, lucky._ Ash's thoughts said, a fake whining at the last two sentences.

_Thank you, Ash, for acknowledging me as a clone positively, and for saving my soul and life._ _Blastoise2 and Ninetales2! I will be travelling with Ash Ketchum for a few years. I want you to lead while I'm gone. _Mewtwo said, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

"Ash, Mewtwo didn't say anything. We would have heard it, too." Brock Stone said. "Now, we're almost in Altomare. Could you relax for five minutes? I'm sure Latias will recognize you. She's not dumb. She knows we're coming."

"Yeah. And besides, even if she didn't, you still need a break from training." Misty Waterflower said, "Look, there it is!"

On the horizon, the old friends could see the sillhouette of the beautiful City of Altomare.

A couple of humans were out on a stroll, when they shrieked, and ran. A tall, lavender humanoid had appeared out of thin air in front of them. Later on, this humanoid would become famous, being called the Ghost of Altomare's Past. _How did I overlook Ash's position? And where am I?_ it asked telepathically. A fairly brave Pidgey flew near him.

"You're in Altomare." it said, in a chirpy accent, "City of Water, Birthplace of the Latis, yadda yadda yadda."

_Do you know of a man named Ash Ketchum? He's about 16, raven-haired, and wears a red hat with a blue jacket._

"Yes, I saw him. I saw him three years ago. I was in a birdbath with my friend, and he walked up with a strange girl. He looked at me, and the girl pulled him away." the Pidgey answered. "He seemed very nice. I can show you the way if you want me to."

_Yes. That would help me._ Mewtwo followed the small Flying-type into an alleyway.

"Hey, Bianca! We're here! You are Bianca, right?" Ash yelled from the docks. He saw Bianca selling some of her artwork on the street next to the port.

"Hey, Ash, Misty, and Brock! How have you all been? And yes, I am Bianca. Amy's been waiting to see you!" Bianca called back, after selling a piece to a tall man in a brown coat. He had a very beautiful Persian at his side.

"Amy?" Ash asked, after running toward the art stand, with Misty and Brock close behind. Well, Misty anyways. Brock was currently in the middle of being dragged to Bianca by Croagunk.

"Ohuuh..." Brock groaned, a large, purple stain on his shirt where his stomach is.

"We're in public, remember?" Bianca told Ash, completely ignoring the unconscious Brock.

"Sorry. I forgot." Ash said. "Hey, where'd Misty go?"

Misty then turned back up, holding about ten shopping bags.

"Misty, what is that?" Ash asked.

"Souveniers!" Misty exclaimed, dropping a bag at Ash's feet. "Those are for you!"

Ash looked inside the bag, expecting a bobblehead or lei or even sunscreen. He didn't expect a Silph Scope, a Master Ball, or a visor like Hunter J's. "Where did you get these?" Ash asked, too amazed to say anything else.

"Hey! Give back my visor! I swear, if I could see you right now..." a tall, grey-haired woman was running blindly towards the group.

"You actually stole Hunter J's visor. How, why, and are you crazy?" Ash asked, bewildered.

"Let's just say J won't be stealing many more Pokemon. Zap!" Misty said, pointing a weird-looking gun at J, who looked afraid before she was turned into stone, eyes closed, fist raised. "Man, this thing is awesome!"

Brock, who had recovered from the Poison Jab quickly, went over to J's statue. "How can anything possibly breathe like that?" he asked, poking J's eye. The whole statue crumbled into dust.

"Hey, look! Those people just beat Hunter J!" a random guy in the crowd yelled. "I saw the whole thing!"

"Great. Now I've lost another chance to get Latios and Latias." the man with the Persian said.

"Mrreoww!" the Persian answered, sounding like it was laughing.

By now, people were crowding around the three friends, cheering about their "cunning" and "skill", even though they didn't really do anything. Ash was trying to get over the fact that Hunter J was actually dead. Sure, everyone hated her, but she was still human.

"Here we are! The nice kid came here three years ago." the Pidgey said, pointing a wing at a wall.

_That's a wall, not an alleyway._ Mewtwo said, confused.

"He went through the wall."

Mewtwo touched the wall, expecting a hard surface. Instead, he went straight through, tumbling down an alleyway, and landed face-first in grass. He got up, spitting grass and dirt out of his small mouth.

''Who are you?" a female voice asked, coming from somewhere near. Mewtwo pinpointed the sound, but didn't see anything there.

_I am Mewtwo. I am a clone. I am looking for a human called Ash Ketchum._

Mewtwo suddenly felt six sharp claws pointing on his neck. "Are you his friend, or his enemy?" the voice asked, laced with vemonous steel. A blue light appeared. A medium-sized, red dragon stood there, claws at Mewtwo's jugular vein and extra spinal cord. Mewtwo couldn't help but notice the dragon was very beautiful, but the effect was lessened somewhat by this death threat.

_I would never hurt Ash Ketchum. I am his friend. He saved my life, and I intend to someday save his. I presume you are Latias?_

"Yes. I am Ash's friend as well. He saved my life, too. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's saved the life of every legendary, so don't think you're special." Latias said, removing her claws from Mewtwo's neck.

_Why don't we both team up, since we both have a common enemy and goal._

"Okay." Latias said. She felt she could trust this odd Pokemon. She changed into her human form, and shook Mewtwo's hand. Mewtwo looked at it, trying to figure out what had just happened. "It's a handshake. It's a human form of trust."

_Oh. Okay. How did you transform like that?_ Mewtwo asked. _The only Pokemon I know with that power is Mew._

"It's just one of my abilities. I don't know how I got it." Latias said. "Would you like to meet Ash? He said he would be coming here sometime today."

_Good. I need to speak with him. It's imperative that he knows what I have found out._

"What would that be?" Latias asked, pulling Mewtwo back out of the secret garden.

_I only trust him with that information. I don't know you well enough to reveal it._

"Okay." Latias said.

An hour later...

"Here we are!" Latias said. "Hopefully." she added, not sure if Ash was still there.

_He's here. I can sense him with my Psychic powers. _Mewtwo said, using his Psychic abilities to cover himself completely in a cloak, so that nobody freaked out when they saw him.

"I wonder what that crowd is surrounding?" Latias said, pushing through the mob of people, still pulling Mewtwo's already sore arm.

"Alright, everybody. Back away from those people." an Officer Jenny said through a megaphone. The crowd quickly deserted, except for Latias and Mewtwo.

"Who are you two?" Ash asked. Latias frowned, but then realized she had transformed into a different body than Bianca's.

"Hey, Amy. Who's your friend?" Bianca said, pointing at the tall, cloaked figure.

"Wait, that's Amy? I thought she looked like you, Bianca?" Misty asked.

"There is nobody here anymore, all of you." the cloaked figure said, in a deep, strangely familiar voice.

"Okay. Latias, you can change into a new form now?" Brock asked. He resisted the urge to flirt, knowing exactly who this was.

"Yes, I can." Latias answered, knocking everybody except Bianca and the cloaked man off their feet.

"Y-you can talk!?" Ash asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes. Oh, this is...Um..." Latias started.

"They know me, except for Bianca." the cloaked figure said, lowering his hood.

"Mewtwo!? What are you doing in Altomare?" Ash, Misty, and Brock asked simoultaneously.

_I should ask the same to you. I meant to teleport to you, and ended up following a Pidgey into a wall illusion. I think I ended up in the Secret Garden of Lati. _Mewtwo answered, rubbing his sore arm, _Your friend Latias has a very strong grip. I think my arm is bruised. _Everyone laughed. _What? It hurts! _Mewtwo said, flushing a deeper purple, the Psychic equivalent of a blush. _Great. Thanks alot. You three made me have emotion._

Bianca actually sped toward Mewtwo at the Garden's mentioning, and had her hands on his neck. "What did you touch there?" she asked hatefully.

Mewtwo easily used Psychic, pushing her off. _About a mouthful of grass._ he said emotionlessly. The blush was gone. _And don't try to hurt me again, or you will be sorry. I have not lost the ability to kill._

Bianca decided to hide behind a painting of Altomare at Dawn.

Mewtwo buckled, crumpling to the ground. The tall man in the brown coat was standing behind him, holding a Dark Ball. "Wasn't that easy?" he asked his Persian.

"Mrreeeahheaowww." the Persian laughed, licking a paw.

"Mewtwo!" Ash yelled, and tried to grab the Dark Ball out of the man's hand. The man grabbed his hand, and pulled it backwards. Ash froze. If he moved, this man could very easily break his arm.

"Tsk, tsk. I would have though that after 6 years, you would learn to think. Oh, well. It presents a minimal challenge to me. Do you recognize me?" the man asked, looking at Ash, who was sweating under the strain on his arm.

"Who are you? And let go of Ash!" Latias exclaimed, scared.

"I am Giovanni. I don't think I need to explain. Well, except for one thing..." the man said, throwing off his coat. There stood the all-too-familiar Team Rocket Boss.

"Let Ash and Mewtwo go!" Misty screamed, hammer in hand. She almost hit Giovanni with it, but Giovanni swiveled around, causing Ash to take the hit. Now he was in danger of a broken arm, and had a bloody nose and bruised face.

"I suggest you pretend this never happened. Because, if you don't then this will be only the beginning." At this, Giovanni twisted his arm, snapping Ash's humerus. Ash shrieked, and passed out. Giovanni let him go, his arm hanging limply on the ground.

All of a sudden, before Giovanni could leave, he was knocked down face-first as if by an invisible train. "What the-" he said, looking around. A blue light appeared, and a blue-and-white dragon appeared, anger evident on its face.

"Laatios!" it said, biting Giovanni on the neck. Giovanni was now just as unconscious as Ash. "Lati laat." it said softly, picking Ash up surprisingly gently with its powerful arms, inspecting the broken bone. A look of concern had replaced the anger.

"Latios?" everyone asked, "But, you're dead!"

Latios switched to his human form, which looked very similar to a 35-year-old Ash. "I'm not anymore. Latias, will you use your Recover? He needs to be healed."

"Okay, brother." Latias said, turning to nurse mode. She gently held Ash's arm, and her eyes turned purple. When she was done, the bone moved into the correct position, and Ash woke up.

"W-what happened?" he asked, sitting up, "Ow!" he said when his arm touched the wooden dock. He saw Latias, who was still holding his arm.

"Be careful, Ash. Your arm still needs to fully recover. I can only fix the position." she cooed. Her voice helped soothe some of the pain.

"Okay. Where's Mewt-Is that Latios!?" Ash said, suddenly aware of the older Eon Pokemon floating above him. He had switched back to his normal form.

"Yes, it is me. I suppose I should explain?" Latios said, again changing into a human. He couldn't speak English as a Latios.

"Yeah, you should. Oohh..." Ash said, groaning in pain.

"I can make a temporary cast for now." Brock said, picking up a large fabric roll from a nearby empty clothing stand. He expertly wrapped it around Ash's arm, the latter doing his best to stay still. "There. That should hold until we get to the city. Continue, Latios. I believe you have a few years to catch up to."

"Yes, well, when I became the new Soul Dew, I picked up a thing or two about the future. I learned that I had to come back eventually, when two Psychic Legendaries and the Chosen One of Humans were once again in the same place. I originally thought it meant Latias and me, as we are siblings, but I now believe it meant Mewtwo and Latias. My enlightened mind told me that the two Psychics would aid the Chosen One in his most dangerous quest of all." Latios said gravely.

_In other words, exactly like all his other adventures._ Mewtwo said, a rare smirk on his face.

"This isn't a time to joke, Mewtwo." Brock said.

"There they are!" a new, female voice said. Everyone looked to where it had come from. They saw a very familiar blue-grey haired woman race nearer to them, followed by another, golden haired, woman.

"Would...you...wait...up...Oakley?" the gold-haired person asked.

"Why don't you hurry up, Annie?" Oakley retorted. She was almost at the rapidly growing group. Annie reached them a few seconds later, completely out of breath. Everybody except Mewtwo (there's always an exception, isn't there?) stood defensively in front of Latios and Latias, as the two Rocket members had on their visors.

"Go away, you two. Don't make us force you away again." Ash said, forgetting his broken arm. Now, the only thing he felt was protectiveness of the Eon duo.

"Hey, I don't think we said anything about leaving, did we Annie?" Oakley said in the same way as she spoke three years ago, when Ash had pulled the String Shot off of Latias.

"No, we didn't, Oakley. Espeon, go!" Annie said, releasing her signature Pokemon.

"You too, Ariados! Show them what we want." Oakley said.

"Espe!" Espeon said.

"Harry!" Ariados answered.

It was then that Mewtwo went into action. He threw off his cloak (which he had put back on when Latios appeared), and picked up Espeon and Ariados with his Psychic. _Nobody hurts friends of Mewtwo._ he growled, stopping the two Pokemon's struggling with the sheer venom in his voice. _And as for you_, he said, pointing at the Rocket members, _You can now call yourselves legally under arrest under the grounds of trespassing, stealing, and Pokemon kidnapping on Johto grounds. I am a member of their police force, and was assigned to find you sometime ago. Three years, in fact._

Annie and Oakley found themselves frozen by the Psychic as well. "But we already spent our time in jail." Oakley, always the leader, said, "We haven't done anything else after that. We meant to send out our Pokemon as a gesture of friendship. We quit Team Rocket about the minute we got stuck in the DMA."

Latias's eyes turned purple as she stepped forward, reading the two's minds. "They are speaking the truth." she said, "They don't mean us any harm. Let them go, Mewtwo."

_After I give them a Stage 3 Psychic. They deserve it. Human jails never get the point across._ Mewtwo said, the smirk coming back. The Rocket duo looked mortified. They had studied Psychic attacks while they were incapacitated, and knew exactly what Stage 3 did (for better explanation, see Final Challenge, by Maxin 22).

"Mewtwo, no!" Misty said. She had also learned about the Stages of the Psychic attack.

_I was only kidding._ Mewtwo said, relinquishing the Psychic, dropping the two humans and two Pokemon to the ground.

"Thanks, Latias. Wow. I never thought I would ever say that." Annie said, "Mewtwo, why did you mess my hair up? I had only just finished fixing it!"

"Oh, quit your whining, Annie. Come on. We haven't delivered the message yet." Oakley said.

"Oh, yeah. Can I tell them?" Annie said, standing up.

"Fine." Oakley said, sighing.

"OK. We came to tell you we wanted to join you!" Annie said excitedly.

"What? Why?" everybody asked, confused and suspicious. Latias was known for making mistakes sometimes.

"Because you guys have experience. We've been in Team Rocket since we were both kids, and we decided to become Trainers." Oakley said, as if it were completely obvious, "We could combine experiences, with your Pokemon skills and our experience with Team Rocket, we all can ultimately bring it down, along with the other organizations."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it's a good idea." Brock said, after carefully thinking through all possible outcomes of this.

"And how do we know you're not lying?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes, "What if you just want to use us to get the Soul Dew?" He crosses his arms, earning a fresh amount of pain from the one that was broken. "Owww..."

"And another thing. We know a place for you to get that arm healed." Oakley said, recalling Espeon. Annie did the same with Ariados. "Come with us."

The group decided to follow. After all, it couldn't hurt. They had three legendaries and a bunch of other Pokemon on their side, and Ash really needed that arm healed. His skill would be hindered if he couldn't give a command without hurting it.

A few minutes of walking later...

"Here we are!" Oakley said, drawing her arms with a flourish. "Welcome to our home!"

"This is an apartment building. Don't you live outside of Altomare?" Brock said. He saw a girl nearby. Croagunk came out, just in case, but Brock just walked straight past.

"Cro-o-oh" it said with a shrug, returning itself.

"Nope. We've lived here for a while now. There's a Pokemon Center and a Lab on this street. Both of us have already picked our starters. Did you know that Altomare's starters are different from Johto's or Hoenn's? I got Illumise." Oakley said.

"I got Mincinno! It's so cute!" Annie said.

"That was a very Bianca thing to say. Not Altomare Bianca, Unova Bianca." Ash said.

"Nice save, Ash." Bianca said.

"Thank you. I pride myself in saying stupid things, and then immediately fixing them." Ash said. "Okay, I can't think of anything to fix that stupid thing that I just said." he added, blushing. "You know what? Forget I said anything."

"Okay, Trainer Ash." Misty said, laughing.

"Hey! It's Pokemon Master Ash! You know I already beat Cynthia, so that makes me a Pokemon Master!" Ash exclaimed, flashing his plaque for the whole world to see. Well, at least the fanfiction world.

"Can we go in now?" asked Brock, reminding everybody of what they were here for.

"Oh, yes. Come on in." Oakley said, walking into the entrance of the apartment complex. "Hello, Manager!"

"Hello, Oakley. Hello Annie." the manager of the apartments said. "Here's your room key."

"Thank you." Annie took the key, and went straight for the elevators. Everybody crammed themselves into the tiny shaft, and practically fell out when the doors opened on the right floor.

"Here we are. Home sweet home!" Annie said, opening the door to the room. Everything was neatly arranged, and along one wall was a display case filled with various Items, Cards, and Team Rocket Gadgets. "Oh, don't mind those devices. Nothing in that case has been used in years." she said, noticing everyone's glances at the Rocket items.

"Wait a second, is that..." Brock started, noticing a purple sphere in a clear glass candle cup.

"Yes it is. The original Soul Dew. Annie was able to recover it from the DMA, and we decided to keep it as a souvenier of the past. It does make a very good Halloween decoration, because it's real, and emits very powerful Dark-Type energy. And no, we didn't lead you here so that the Latis and Mewtwo couldn't stop us. We both know full well that Mewtwo has Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball, and the Latis have Dragon moves." Oakley said, acting like a tour guide.

"You've really done your research, haven't you?" Ash asked, impressed by this seemingly random show of knowledge.

"Yes, we have. Oh, and, Latios, has the last member of the group shown up yet?" Oakley said, looking at Latios, who looked away from the Soul Dew.

"Not yet. He said he would be coming very soon." Latios answered.

"You're working with them, Latios!?" Ash, Misty, Brock, and Bianca asked simoultaneously. Mewtwo, as usual, didn't really care.

"Yes. They were necessary for the Chosen One's path to be set. They sent out invitations to certain people and Pokemon, telling them to come to Altomare to group up. Only Darkrai hasn't come yet." As Latios said this, a shadow in the room raised itself, first a white mass, then a blue eye, a red neck crest, and lastly the body. Its very presence caused everyone, even Mewtwo to shiver. "Scratch that. He's here too." Latios said, taking a scarf off one of the beds in the room.

"Daarkrai." Darkrai said, in a voice that betrayed kindness in the Pitch-Black Pokemon''s seemingly evil exterior. "Latios. Why did you tell me to come here?" Darkrai asked, blinking once in the sudden light change.

"Darkrai, you are a part of the Chosen One's final quest. I would send you the directions mentally, but..." Latios said, tapping his head.

"You can't use Psychic moves on me." Darkrai finished. He sighed, a deep, growling sound.

"Correct. So I'll just say it out loud. Your part in this is to protect the Chosen One from harm from Psychics and alien viri." Latios said matter-of-factly, as if it were rehearsed.

"Who is this Chosen One's name?" Darkrai asked, his eye shifting around the room at this strange mixed-up group.

"Ash Ketchum." Latios answered.

"As in the one who dragged me out of the Alamos Gardens' lake and saved my home?" Darkrai asked, his eye settling on Ash, who, despite himself, shivered under the gaze. "Ash, do not fear me anymore. You know that you are my friend. What is this?" he said, picking up the corrupted Soul Dew, "It gives me more energy. It's filled with evil intentions. Memories of betrayal shine clearly within it."

Annie and Oakley cringed. "Forget those." Oakley said, "That was in the past."

Darkrai closed his eye, memories of that time period flooding from the Dew. "You were lead to the Secret Garden by Ash himself, weren't you?" he asked, his expression turning, if possible, darker. He opened his eye.

"W-what? Is that true, Ash?" Bianca asked, shocked. Ash was her friend, wasn't he?

"Yes." Ash decided not to hold it in anymore. "It's all my fault Latios is dead. If I hadn't lead Annie and Oakley's spycam thing unknowingly into the Garden, then none of this would have ever happened. I didn't want any of you to find out, because it would turn me into an outcast." Ash's face fell. Everyone gasped.

"It wasn't your fault, Ash." Latias said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It had to be. Nobody else knew where it was." Ash said, shrugging off the gesture.

"I'm as much to blame as you, Ash. I'm the one who led you there in the first place. And Annie and Oakley are also. They created the camera. Nobody is more at fault than anybody else." Latias said, trying to help calm Ash, who had started to cry, down.

"Can I keep this corruption? It can give me some ideas for nightmares." Darkrai asked, earning glares from everybody. "What? I'm running out of ideas."

"Breaking news!" a reporter on the TV suddenly said, "There has been major seismic tension in the Kanto area, volcanic activity in Johto, terrible floods in Hoenn, and sudden flash freezes in Sinnoh. Officials are baffled as to why these occurrences are appearing, but only know that these are the dominant disasters of their respective regions. They have attempted to contact the Pokemon nation's best hope, a boy named Ash Ketchum, who has had experience with this sort of thing, but have not been able to reach him. If he is watching, all of us beg for him to return. To save the world one more t-" the reporter was hit by a wave of seawater at tsunami heights, and the camera blacked out.

"It's started." Latios said gravely, "Ash, it's time to win one more battle."

"What do we do, Latios? You're our best connection to all of this." Ash asked, afraid of what was happening. The TV switched to a reporter based somewhere familiar.

"There is a massive obsidian field coming from Johto. It is set to collide with the only safe city left. It has been calculated to hit Altomare in 3 hours." the reporter said. Brock looked out the window.

"That reporter is right on this street!" he exclaimed, "We have to move, now!"

_I can teleport us to a plaace where we can temporarily be safe. Hold on, everybody. You too, Darkrai. I can still teleport with you._ Mewtwo said. Everybody held on to his cloak. They all disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Where are we?" Bianca asked. They were in a cave network. An oddly colored Pikachu ran up to them.

_"You got here just in time, Mewtwo. Clone Caves almost collapsed."_ it said, hugging Mewtwo's leg.

"You brought us straight in the middle of a mountain next to volcanoes!? That's a very stupid idea, Mewtwo." Misty said, before going into hysterics, running around, screaming "We're all going to die!" repeatedly at the top of her lungs.

_When I am present here, Clone Caverns is safe from nearly anything. It is what you humans now call magical._

"Did Pikachu2 just talk?" Ash asked. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, remembering his clone counterpart. They touched tails, zapping each other, a sign of friendship in their evolutionary chains.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to stop the disasters." Darkrai said.

_Yes. Darkrai, get as many Legendaries to collect here as you can. Latios, enter all information you know about this into Ash's Poketch. Pikachu and Pikachu2, rally all of the clones, and tell them to come here. Latias, get as many living wild Pokemon as you can here. We will need as much power as we can get._ Mewtwo said.

"What will you do?" Brock asked.

_I will use my powers to create a machine that can fuse all of the power we need into a single item, which Ash will carry._

"Wait, why am I the one that has to hold all the important stuff?" Ash asked. Latios had already taken his Poketch, and was currently in the middle of inputting all the data it needed. He also added some new functions, such as the Ex-Dex (i give credit to Maxin 22 for it. Tell me if you want it taken out.). Ash's belt suddenly got heavier as all of his past Pokemon came back in their old Pokeballs, which had reattached themselves. "Also, who is protecting the new Soul Dew?"

"I _am_ the new Soul Dew, Ash. It isn't required anymore to protect Altomare." Latios said remindingly, "And, to answer your question, you need to carry the important things because you are the most important person here. You are the Chosen One. You are the only one who can beat this battle."

"Do you even know what this thing _looks_ like?" Ash asked interrogatingly.

"Yes. It is an Ice Dragon, a perfect combination of power and immunities. It's mind is full of hate, which furthers its power even more. Pokemon cannot affect it, and it has three forms. It can split its DNA into two, in the spirit of the Yin-Yang. One is Electric, and the other Fire. It can't be killed, because it is already dead. But _you _have the power to stop it. Your pure heart and adaptable mind allow you to find a way. That is the reason you always triumph." Latios said, reconnecting the Poketch to Ash's wrist.

"I have done what you asked, Mewtwo." Darkrai said, appearing beside Misty, who had finallys stopped running and shrieking. She started again when Darkrai appeared. "I have collected all Legendaries, except for Arceus. I also convinced Victini to help. She said she knew about the danger, and it could actually defeat Arceus if it battled him, and said the monster behind the disasters is known in mythology as Kyurem, the Frozen Wasteland Pokemon. She decided to renickname it the Boundary Pokemon, after the sharp change between its realm and around it, and the fact that it came from space."

"I finished bringing the wild Pokemon, Mewtwo." Latias said, "Although, if you don't mind, next time, could I do the Poketch adapting? This job nearly wore me out."

The ground suddenly rumbled, and a geyser appeared in the middle of Clone Caverns.

_The barrier is breaking! Latios, mentally send the coordinates of Grand Chasm!_ Mewtwo ordered, teleporting everyone outside to the waiting crowd.

"But, that's the leading edge of this whole outbreak." Latios said fearfully.

_It doesn't matter! There isn't anywhere that is safe anymore! We need to stop Kyurem at his source!_ Mewtwo yelled, _Clones, Pokemon, and Legendaries, hold on tight!_

Every Pokemon and person there disappeared in a flash, the ground exploding into a volcano behind them.

In Nimbasa Canyon...

"I also should mention that Kyurem has two guards: Reshiram and Zekrom." Victini said, climbing out of the hood of Ash's jacket.

"Could you help us, Victini?" Ash asked, giving the little Victory Pokemon a macaron.

"I would, even if you didn't give me that yummy macaron! Whee!" Victini said, getting to work touching each and every Poemon and human, transferring some of her power into each, plus a little extra for the ones with major parts in the soon-to-be inevitablle battle.

"Ash." Latios said.

"Yes, Latios?" Ash asked the large blue dragon.

"This is the point where you choose whether to stay or go. Once you go any farther, there is no return." Latios said seriously. Ash moved one step in front of where he was.

"Oh, look. It looks like I can't return." Ash said, smiling.

"That counts, but I think you know. I must say, your dedication and persistance are astoundong for your age." Latios said, "Lead the way into the cave, Pokemon Master Ash!"

"Okay, Pokemon Latios." Ash said, pretending to knight the Eon Pokemon, "Alright, everybody! Legendaries, in front, behind humans! Pseudolegendaries, behind them! Others, behind the pseudolegendaries! Let's move!"

Everybody got into position behind Ash, who then began walking into the cave, followed by all the others in their respective places. As soon as Ash entered the cave, ice formed behind him, blocking everyone else from coming in. "Ash!" they all said, trying to break the ice. It wouldn't even crack. Some tried Teleporting, and Mewtwo, the Latis, and Darkrai managed to bypass it. The others couldn't, though.

"I guess this has to be done by us few." Ash said, clearly not liking this, "Kyurem must have other plans than an entire army." Ash then noticed nobody outside the freezing cave was talking anymore. He, along with the others in his group looked through the blueish ice.

_They are all frozen solid. Kyurem must have made sure they couldn't help us. We really are alone now. _Mewtwo observed, sighing.

"Well, we can't stop him standing here. Maybe they'll melt again if-_when _we win." Ash said, correcting himself. "Let's go. We don't want to keep him waiting, do we?"

**_No, you don't want to keep me waiting._** a voice that betrayed pure evil and hatred boomed, rasping along their eardrums like sandpaper. **_I am not one to be kept on hold. I have no reason to kill you. Yet. Now, come through the tunnel, and see your superior, Chosen One. Come to die._**

Everyone looked at each other, an aura of fear radiating outward. Even Mewtwo was terrified. He knew that if they didn't win, then his clones, and the whole world, would be orphans.

"Let's go." Latios said. Reluctantly, everyone shuffled slowly forward, Latias clinging to Ash's arm.

"Aura, now's the time to work for once." Ash told himself quietly. He felt a small tug in his stomach, and smiled. He now had one more weapon to draw on.

"Can I give anyone more power?" a voice asked, making everybody jump. Victini floated out of Ash's jacket hood.

"Victini!? How did you get in here?" Ash asked, completely amazed at the power of this puny Pokemon.

"Simple. I stayed in your jacket." Victini said, giggling. "It was easy!"

**_I've been outsmarted by Victini!? Now, I have a reason to kill you all. I have always hated that stupid pesky Eindoakan. I knew I should have destroyed it, along with the Pillars..._** Kyurem said angrily. The tepmerature in the room dropped ten degrees.

"Brr...What temperature is it, anyways, Xyrule?" Darkrai asked.

Hey, don't ask me. I'm the author. Ask Ash's Poketcch and forget I'm here.

"That's kind of hard to do, Xyrule. You follow us everywhere." Latios said, rolling his eyes.

Fine! It's -40 degrees there. Now, forget I'm here. or I'll make you do something stupidly embarrassing.

_Wow. Threatening your own characters. A new low. Sorry. You're not here._ Mewtwo said, seeing the glare I'm giving him right now. _Can we just move out of this spot now?_

Okay. Mewtwo, you are so lucky you're one of my favorites.

"Come on! Kyurem won't kill himself!" Ash said, dragging everyone forward with sudden energy.

"Thanks for the boost, Xyrule! Oops." Ash said, covering his mouth.

Okay, that's it. It doesn't matter if you're my favorite anime character. Your punishment for acknowledging my existance is: From now until you leave the cave, you will not be allowed to wear your hat.

"Anything but that!" Ash said, his hat disappearing, "Noo! Oh, fine. This will severely mess up my power, though."

When the group got to the end of the tunnel, they saw an enormous semispherical cavern, filled with frozen Pokemon, and, to the dismay of the group, half-rotten corpses of Kyurem's past victims, frozen in time.

"Alright, Kyurem. We're here, so show yourself." Darkrai said, looking around the huge room.

**_Finally here, aren't you? And so eager to die. I admire that in my prizes. Come, come._**

A large chunk of ice started morphing, reshaping itself. After a minute or two, it had completely reshaped itself. There stood a dragon, whose basic body was not unlike Tyrannosaurus Rex, but was the color of dirty ice. One side of its body was more pointed and larger than the other. Its mismatched wings had two claws at the end. At the end of its serpentine neck stood a Goratina-esque lower jaw, and two ice crests with a yellow stripe in between. Its eyes were the most striking feature, because they had no detail. They were pure mustard yellow, green-rimmed, and ancient. Together, those details made for a terrifying beast that truly deserved the title of monster, as it was the only thing to describe it as. Ash had to resist the urge to puke at its sight. Latias buried her face in his jacket.

**_I know. I'm hideous. But it doesn't affect me too much. It really is a blessing. It gives me an even better edge against my opponents. Now, how will we battle? Oh, I know. You all attempt to defeat me, and I kill you all almost immediately. Yes, that plan is perfect. Let's do that shall we?_**

While Kyurem was talking, Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Victini moved quietly behind Kyurem, while Ash and Latios had his attention. Latias still refused to move her head out of Ash's jacket.

**_Getting behind me won't help you. I can change, adapt if you try. See for yourself._** Kyurem's body began to glow, splitting into two. When the glow stopped, there stood Kyurem's two formes, one hunched, with two very long arms, a dark grey body, and a black tail. That one was Black Kyurem. The other was taller, had large wing/fins on its arms, which were one icy blue, and the other white, half of its head crest was white and longer, a lighter grey body than Black Kyurem, and the inside of its grey, ringed tail was white, and had ice shoulder pads.

"Well, at least now its easier to look at." Ash said, as if they all were calmly walking down Route 21, instead of in a life-or-death situation. _Again_.

**_Do you still think you can defeat me?_** the two Kyurems asked. Two bodies, one voice. A buzzing noise came out as they switched into Overcharge. Blue electricity jolted through Black Kyurem, while White Kyurem's wings and arms turned red with heat as thin fire passed between its body and tail. They both jumped, levitating in the air, signature moves ready to fire. **_I think you will die, as my Ice Burn, Freeze Shock, and Glaciate enter your body. You will die before you hit the ground. Then, I will take care of your friends._**

Kyurem released the lethal blasts, heading straight towards Ash. Ash couldn't do anything but stare, as Kyurem had made him unable to move, as the moves headed straight towards him. His eyes widened as the fastest, Ice Burn, hit him. He felt searing pain, and his newly healed arm broke again. He had never felt this much pain before. As he closed his eyes, waiting for the final hits, he felt a shadow pass over him.

_You will never kill a friend of Mewtwo, or you will pay severely._ Ash opened his eyes. There, in front of him, stood Mewtwo, Latios, Darkrai, Latias, and Victini, all doing their part in attacking Kyurem. They were losing, though. Kyurem's two bodies were simply too powerful and fast. Kyurem's hold on Ash had released by now. He quickly pulled up an Aura Sphere, letting his mind do the work subconsciously while he figured out how to defeat the evil zombie dragon (that seriously is what Kyurem is.)

**_You cannot defeat me. Fighting fire with fire only burns all, and the fire remains intact, as I will destroy all, and still remain intact. Nothing can stop me! I will prevail!_** Kyurem landed a three-way hit on Latios.

"LAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!" he shrieked, falling to the ground.

"Latios!" Ash screamed, scoring a Psystrike on White Kyurem's tail generator. All of White Kyurem's Ice Burns that had been launched suddenly stopped. Black Kyurem stopped at the same time, though he was perfectly fine. They both floated there for a second, confused. This allowed more hits to be scored. White Kyurem went down, vaporizing.

Ash used the hesitation to get to Latios. He picked his head up, hoping he would be okay. Latios was in his Pokemon form the entire battle, as was Latias. "Latios, you're going to be okay. Just stay with me. You can survive. Fight the pain. Don't die now." Ash said, tears forming.

"Ash...Win the battle for me. For Latias. I know you have feelings for one another. I give you my blessing. Take my Soul Dew, and use it well." Latios said weakly. He drew his last breath. His head relaxed in Ash's arm. His body turned into a mist, which formed into a teardrop-shaped sphere. Ash took the sphere, and reverently held it, before putting it into his jacket pocket, right next to his heart.

By now, White Kyurem's soul and aura vapor had floated up, fusing with Black Kyurem. A blinding flash of white light occurred, forcing everyone to close their eyes. When the light dimmed, there was a beast, a _thing_, a combination of the two Kyurems. It was _huge_, and radiated power.

**_Finally. Thank you, Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One. You have enabled me to transform into my Ultimate form. I am now in my Infinite Overdrive forme. Now, there is nothing you can do to stop me._**

The new Kyurem powered up an enormous move. It crackled with electricity, froze everything around it, and boiled the very air around it.

**_It is now time for you to witness power at its purest form. This is my Glacial Lightning Bomb, my ultimate move._**

Time seemed to slow as Ash's mind sped up. "The Soul Dew. The Chosen One. The Power of One. I know what I have to do. I have to kill myself inorder to save us all."

"Ash, you can't! Please, don't!" Latias yelled, going toward him.

"I have to. I'll tell Latios you said hi." Ash said, strangely calmly. "Okay, Kyurem. I'm ready."

**_Oh, well_**_, __**good. I honestly expected you to scream, but oh, well. You can't have everything.**_

Kyurem released the infinitely powerful move. It targeted Ash, and launched. Right before it hit, Ash took out the Soul Dew, whispered a few words, and disappeared. He reappeared, racing toward Kyurem. The Glacial Lightning Bomb followed him. Ash got to Kyurem, grabbing his leg. The move connected with its target, and also killed Kyurem.

**_No! I can't be beaten! I can't be-Auuuuugggghhhhhhh..._** Kyurem fell, landing on the floor of the cavern with a huge cloud of ice shards and dust as all ice in the cavern melted.

When the ice and dust cleared, Kyurem's body lay still, sideways on the smoking ground.

"W-where's Ash? Latias asked, fearful of what had happened to him.

_There he is. Under Kyurem's back._ Mewtwo said, pointing at Kyurem. Latias raced over to the still form.

"Ash! Please, wake up!" she said, _picking Kyurem up and tossing him in sadness._ She picked Ash up, gently removing the dust and blood. There was a large ice shard piercing out of his chest, and blisters on his face. "Ash! No! You can't be dead! You just can't!" Latias kissed the body of her greatest human friend, crying freely. Ash's limp hand still held the Soul Dew, which now had a darker hue, as if it was mourning for the lost Chosen One.

_He's dead. He's really gone forever._ Mewtwo said, actual tears returning. This was the first time he had cried since his oldest friend, Amber, died.

"The Chosen One's final quest." Darkrai said reverently, "The prophecy was right. He lost his life to save the world."

"He was a great friend. I don't believe he's really gone." Victini said, remembering the time he had saved her life, back in Eindoak, before it was destroyed. I want to give him some of my energy, just to show my

grief." Victini touched Ash's bruised forehead, and a purple light shone. It quickly dissolved, but Ash didn't stir.

_Latias, what exactly did he say before he sacrificed himself?_ Mewtwo asked.

"H-he said, 'Death is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a new one.'"

_I think we have our next Prophecy. Someday, somewhere, Ash will come back._

When the group walked out of the cave, all the Pokemon, and people, cheered, but immediately stopped when they saw Latias carrying the limp Ash. Their moods immediately went solemn, and most started crying.

"Today was a bitter blow to us. Ash is dead. But today, Kyurem lost his life as well. Ash sacrificed himself in order to save us all. His soul is with Latios, who died during the battle, in the new Soul Dew." Darkrai said reverently, holding up the Soul Dew for all to see.

"I can't believe he's gone." Misty and Bianca said simoultaneously, crying heavily. Darkrai gave Bianca the Soul Dew.

"Take this, Bianca of Altomare, and use it to protect and remind the world from evil forevermore." Darkrai said grimly.

Meanwhile, in Altomare's docks...

"Where am I?" Giovanni asked, rubbing his sore head and neck. "And why is this lying around?" Giovanni picked up Mewtwo's Dark Ball, and got into a Team Rocket helicopter he had called for earlier that day.

-  
Epilogue

_In a strange, white dimension…_

_"Ohh…Where am I?" Ash asked himself. He rubbed his bruised head, looking around his strange surroundings._

**_You are in the Upper Dimensions._**_ A voice said. Ash thought it was Kyurem at first, but the voice was too kind, too understanding._

_"W-who are you?" Ash asked, jumping up. He saw a shadow appear in the whiteness. He quickly put his arms in a circular shape, preparing an Aura Sphere, but nothing happened._

_The shadow grew larger, and a definite shape formed. It was a cream-colored equine, and had a large, beautiful yellow double arc around its body. It green eyes with their red irises showed great power, and yet great kindness._

**_That is how you treat your God?_**_ The equine asked telepathically. Its arcs changed to olive green, the emeralds imbued in the corners switching to brown. Electricity crackled through its form, ozone spiking the air around it._

_"Arceus." Ash said reverently._

**Ash: Why did you kill me? I DON'T WANNA DIE!**

**Xyrule: Calm down, Ash.**

**Ash: Don't you tell me to calm down, mister! All I wanted was to save the world, and YOU KILLED ME FOR IT!**

**Xyrule: Ash, return your Snorlax...**

**Ash: SNORLAX, USE BODY SLAM!**

**Xyrule: Me, use Infinite Aura. Hah. You can't hit me now.**

**Ash: I will get you, Braxton Xyrule, if it's the last thing I do.**

**Xyrule: You can't. You're dead. Oh, and here's your hat back.**

**Ash: Thank you for your consideration.**

**Xyrule: Hey! No Hunger Games quotes in here!**

**Ash: Well, sorry. Why don't we battle? May the odds be ever in your favor!**

**Xyrule: That's enough! For that, I take your hat away again!**

**Ash: Aww...Please can I have it back? I won't say anymore Hunger Games quotes!**

**Xyrule: No.**

**Ash: I shoot you in the eye, every time.**

**Xyrule: Fine! Geez. Stop with the quotes already.**

**Ash: That's better. This hat is my lucky hat. Bye now. Cynthia just challenged me.**


	3. Part 2

Storyline 1:

Setting the Stage

Part 2: When Darkness Closes In


	4. The Ebony's Touch

A young man runs through the forest, chased by an unknown enemy. He looks back, and trips on a root. He stumbles, and the enemy catches up. The man screams as the creature, black as night, grabs him. All of his sharp senses go dead. The dark creature looks at its victim. _**''You will never defeat the Faramin. You now are cursed. Cursed with the Ebony's Touch. Cursed to live out a half-life, forced to repent ever day for what you have done.''**_it says, its gravelly voice reverberating through the quiet forest. It leaves, swiftly moving back to where it had come from, back to the land where its Master ruled.

3 days later...

''A-Ash! A-ASH! Where are you?'' a female voice called through the forest.

''He must be somewhere. He couldn't have just disappeared. We'll find him.'' a male voice said, ''We could have found him earlier if you hadn't forced the others to stay.''

''Sorry, Mewtwo. But I have to find him myself. I need to be the one to see that he's okay.'' the female said.

''Alright, Latias. I'm just saying it would have been easier with more people. The world is huge, and after this amount of time, he might not even be in Ilex Forest anymore. He might even still be Aura Training at Cameron Palace.'' Mewtwo said. The two Psychic-Types stumbled into a clearing.

''It looks like it's been killed at the roots.'' Mewtwo said, looking around. He saw a form, lying still halfway in the underbrush. He recognized the hat next to the form. Uh-oh. he thought, walking slowly to the limp thing. His suspicions were comfirmed when he got to the thing. It was a human, lying sideways. He had crazy raven hair, a blue jacket, looked about 16, and was skinny. Blood seeped slowly from his forehead. Mewtwo picked up the body. Latias's heart jumped when she saw it.

''Is that...'' she got out, fear creeping in.

''Yes. It's Ash. He's breathing, but seems unconscious. We need to get him to a hospital.'' Mewtwo said. Latias held his arm. They teleported away.

They landed in the Pokemon Center. The Nurse Joy saw them come in. She was about to raise an alarm when she saw the look on Mewtwo and Latias's faces, and the limp human in Mewtwo's arms. ''What happened?'' she asked, concerned.

''We found him in Ilex Forest. He's our friend. We don't know why he's like this.'' Mewtwo said.

''Well, he needs special attention. Follow me.'' Joy said, going into the emergency room. Mewtwo and Latias followed.

2 hours later...

''How is he?'' Latias asked, standing up in her human form when she saw Joy come out of the room.

''He's in a very bad way. He has a concussion, a broken leg and arm, three cracked ribs, and heart trauma. He's comatose. I can't understand how he survived whatever happened to him.'' Nurse Joy said sadly.

''Do you know how long it will be until he wakes up?'' Mewtwo asked. Latias was crying over his shoulder.

''I'm sorry, but no. He could remain in this state anywhere between a few seconds and indefinitely.'' Joy said. ''You are allowed to see him now.''

''Thank you. Latias, do you want to see him?'' Mewtwo said, nudging the crying Pokemon (still in her human form) off of his shoulder. She wiped away some of the tears with her shirt sleeve, nodding sadly.

They walked into the surgery room (Ash had been moved there during the past two hours). They saw Ash on the bed, covered in bandages.

''Ash!'' Latias cried, running to the bed. She was careful not to touch Ash, or the equipment that was hooked up to him.

''latias.'' Ash mumbled. Latias's head, which was on the bed, shot up.

''Did he just answer me?'' she asked, filled with hope.

''It might have been in his dreams.'' Mewtwo pointed out, not trying to be mean in saying it.

''Wrong, Mewtwo.'' Ash mumbled again, slightly louder.

''Maybe it was just a coincidence.'' Mewtwo said, clearly a little creeped out by the two replies. Funny. At the time I started writing this fanfiction, I had two reviews on two of my published, complete or not, fanfictions. Ironic.

''What day is it?'' Ash asked, louder than the other times. He was definitely talking to Mewtwo and Latias now.

''Ash! You're alive!'' Latias shrieked, hugging the newly-revived Pokemon Trainer.

''Remember, I still have injuries.'' Ash said, moaning as Latias nearly rebroke his ribs. Latias quickly let go. ''And what day is it?'' Ash's voice had returned to full volume. He sat up, groaning at his broken bones. His skin was very pale, and had a purlpe tinge. His eyes were tightly shut.

''From your injuries, I'd say three days. Now, what happened that made you go into a coma?'' Mewtwo asked, and noticed the purple tinge. He also noticed Ash's veins were black as night, and clearly visible. ''What happened to you?''

''The last thing I remember is being chased by a black thing that said it was from Faramia. It caught me, and everything went black.'' Ash said.

Mewtwo went pale. ''The home of the Faramin? They only curse those who try to destroy them. Why were you attempting to kill off the entire species?'' Mewtwo angrily asked, his Shadow Ball forming in his hand.

''I would tell you, but it requires a flashback.'' Ash said.

''We have enough time to know why you've tried to kill an entire race.'' Mewtwo said angrily, forcing himself to keep the Shadow Ball from launching. He knew it would kill Ash in his condition.

''Well, okay then.'' Ash said.

_Flashback..._

_''You coming, Mew? Jirachi is.'' Ash said, motioning for the pink Pokemon to follow._

_''Myu!'' Mew said excitedly, jumping on Ash's shoulder next to Pikachu._

_'Pika!'' Pikachu said. Mew transformed into a Pikachu as well._

_''Pikachu!'' Mew said. Ash smiled as the two Pokemon played. He couldn't see them, but he could hear them perfectly (If has any qualms about me using Ash's blindness, PM me and I will immediately delete this fanfiction)._

_''Jirachi, you there?'' Ash asked._

_''I'm right here!'' Jirachi said in his little-kid voice from somewhere in front of Ash. ''You know, I can give your sight back if you wish for it.'' he added._

''Wait. You're blind?'' Latias interrupted.

''I'll explain later.'' Ash said. He continued the story.

_''No. I'm going to solve my problems myself. I don't force others to help me.'' Ash replied sternly, ending the conversation._

_''How did you go blind in the first place? If you don't want to tell me, that's fine.'' Jirachi said, brushing Ash's cheek with his wing to show that he was there._

_''Actually, I've been trying to think of how to explain it for a while now. I'll say it. It all started two years ago. I was Aura Training near Cameron Palace. That day, I was actually in my first fight with a real enemy. It was in the forest. He knocked my sword out of my hand, and my Defensive Aura was the only thing keeping me from being hit. When I lost my concentration, my enemy took the advantage, and stabbed his two swords through my eyes. I went blind, in pain. I collapsed. The man was about to finish me off when he screamed, and I felt his swords fall on the ground next to me. I felt myself picked up by strong arms. It was one of my Training Coordinators. He told me five days later that I would never see again. My eyes had been removed by the sword thrusts. I had to relearn how to see with my hearing. Even now, I still need someone to guide me. Since Pikachu is small, I usually tell Ditto to transform into a Lucario or Riolu so that it can help me see what it does. Yeah, it's annoying at times, but I've gotten used to it. My eyes don't hurt as much anymore.'' Ash said._

**_''Stop right there!_** '' _a raspy voice boomed. Ash, Jirachi, Pikachu, and Pikachu-Mew froze. Ash's Lucario_, _a real one, stepped up._

_''Who are you?'' she asked, raising an Aura Sphere in one hand and a partial Force Palm in the other._

_''__**We are the Faramin. You are in our territory. Get out. If you don't, we will kill you.'' **__A number of beings, black as night, jumped down from the trees, and, in a few seconds, had Ash and the Pokemon held, wicked black broadswords at their necks. A larger one, obviously the Leader, jumped down in front of Ash. ''__**Do you control these Pokemon?**__'' he asked, moving to rip Ash's belt of Pokeballs off. This angered Ash. He kicked up, his foot connecting with the Faramin's chin. The Faramin holding Ash tightened his arm muscles, drawing blood from Ash's neck. The Faramin Leader looked dazed for a second, but quickly shook it off. ''__**You will pay for that. What is your name?**__'' the Leader asked, his jaw hanging loosely from his mouth. He jointed it into place, a loud cracking sound audible from the broken mandible. ''__**Kill him, and make the Pokemon watch. Wait, save it for the Halonte Festival. It will be the perfect time for the execution. In the meantime, bring them to Faramia.**__'' The Faramin captors forced the prisoners to move, jumping back into the trees._

_''My name is Ash Ketchum. Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm the guy who was offered the job as Frontier Brain and refused. Also the Pokephile.'' Ash didn't really care now if it mattered who he was, so he just said it. The Faramin holding him hissed, his voice grating in Ash's eardrums._


	5. Halonte

''You kicked a Faralla in the face? No wonder they cursed you.'' Mewtwo said. He was just as amazed as Latias so far.

''Can I just finish the story with no more interruptions?'' Ash asked.

''Fine.'' Mewtwo grumbled. He was highly interested in hearing how this all panned out.

_Ten days later, on what on Earth would be Halloween night..._

_Ash sat in the dank Faraminnian prison cell. It was specially designed to be immune to anything. He saw three guards enter the prison from his cell's tiny window. That window had been his greatest luxury for the past ten days. He heard voices. The guards had taken his Pokemon out of their cells next to Ash, and locked into tiny, Dark-Type imbued cages. He hated how they were being treated. He didn't even look like he used to. In the short time he had been here, his appearance had changed drastically. His clothes were muddy and Dustox- and Mothim-eaten. His hair had all but lost its normal sheen, and had been packed down by the mud in the cell. His neck wound was infected, a large, angry pustule lining his voicebox. It made his voice sound strangled. His smile was completely gone. He was alive, but only just. He was a lucky prisoner. The cell in front of him had a prisoner for only a month, and he was a skeleton now. The guards had told Ash that the skeleton belonged to a man called David Ketchum. The man was Ash's father. Ash talked daily to the skeleton, knowing that at least someone familiar was near, even though he had died years ago._

_''__**It's time.**__'' a guard said, opening Ash's cell door. The guard, along with the other two, hostilely brought Ash into the town square of Faramia. They tied his arms to a post next to his Pokemon, and he was raised so that he and the others were hanging, unable to run, unable to escape. The square was packed with Faramin, talking with each other and pointing at Ash and his Pokemon._

_''__**Today, we celebrate Halonte. And today, we execute this man, Ash Ketchum, on the grounds of trespassing on our territory and assaulting a Faralla. He has been ordered to die last, to know what it is like to experience murder of his friends, these Legendary Pokemon, a Pikachu, and a Lucario. His other two Pokeballs have already been smashed.**__'' the King of Faramia, the Maxim Farrein, announced. A royal servent Faramin came up reverently, holding a large, white cloth gingerly. The cloth was nearly ten feet long, and was undoubtedly holding a sword._

_The Maxim Farrein opened the cloth, picking up a huge sword. It had an ebony handle, onyx set into the ebony. The blade was blackish-purple, glowing with a pulsating, black energy. Ash was both awed and terrified of the sword, and all the Faramin looked that way, too. ''__**This is the Darkint Gorea. The Shadow Slicer. The effects of a small cut by this blade can cause intense pain. A direct slash means certain death. This is the weapon that is traditionally used to execute prisoners. Let's start with the Legendaries, shall we?**__'' the Maxim Farrein said, moving towards Mew and Jirachi, who were both still in pain from the Dark energy. He made a small incision in Mew's foot and Jirachi's wing. They twisted, screaming. Ash had to look away, more instinctive because he couldn't see. He heard the definite sound of blood hitting concrete. His stomach turned. He could 'see' every detail with his super-advanced hearing. He managed to form a few tears, although his tear ducts were virtually gone. This was his version of uncontrollable crying. He heard more screams, and knew immediately that Mew and Jirachi were dead._

''Oh no.'' Latias said, depressed by this sad part.

Ash didn't even bother to answer. His face said it all. And yet, he still managed to continue.

_''__**And, our second-to-last to be executed is Lucario!**__'' the Maxim Farrein exclaimed. Ash heard him carefully place the blade. He could smell the fear coming from Lucario. His mind had nearly shut down now. His hearing showed the Maxim Farrein had cut Lucario's arm off. She screamed, a louder, more humanlike scream that showed more emotion than could ever be put into words. Ash heard as the Shadow Slicer was carefully placed on her neck. The blade was twisted, slicing through muscle and bone. Lucario was dead as well. Ash felt the blade placed on his own neck, and finally broke down._

_''Go ahead and do it.'' he said, and the tear ducts reshaped themselves with his emotion. He began to cry heavily. ''You've killed my Pokemon, and you've killed my best friend on Pokearth. Go ahead and kill me. I can't take it anymore.'' he said through the thick tears. He felt something inside his long-empty eye sockets stir, as if awakened by his imminent death. He opened his eyelids for the first time in two years. And, for the first time in two years, he saw. He saw everything. The Faramin, the blood, the dead Pokemon. He was suddenly filled with energy. He kicked upwards, using his whole body, and the Maxim Farrein's hand loosened. The Shadow Slicer was shot upwards. The Maxim Farrein tried to reach the deadly blade, but Ash used his newly jump-started Aura to stop the blade in midair. He made it plummet straight down, secretly hoping it wouldn't hit him. He heard a scream behind him, and a thump. He also felt his binding go slack. He lowered his hands, the ropelike binding severed by the touch of the Shadow Slicer. He turned around, and picked up the huge blade. It was lighter than he expected. It gave him a sudden jolt of energy. He had nearly four hundred times the amount he had had in his cell. He looked at the crowd. They stood still, terrified. This was the first time anyone had ever lived to see the ending of Halonte._

_Ash looked at the crowd. He looked at his dead friends. He created an Aura Shield to pick them up. He drove the Shadow Slicer through the ground in anger and despair. The ground started to shake. Buildings collapsed, and the ground split. Ash raced out of the crumbling territory, just before the Faramin grabbed at the air where he was. He ran out into Ilex Forest, the scenery changing as he went through the portal that led to Faramia. His Aura Shield collapsed, trapping his dead friends in Faramia. The portal closed as well, but not before a single Faramin got out. It was the Faralla that Ash had kicked in the face. He started chasing Ash, and, after a long chase and an unfortunate tumble on Ash's part, caught the Trainer._

''I don't remember anything after that.'' Ash said, collapsing from exhaustion, his head hitting the pillow. Mewtwo and Latias stared, dumbfounded.

''So, you can see?'' Latias asked hopefully.

''Sadly, no. Whatever that Faralla did to me, it removed my eyes once again. But my hearing is just as good as it was.'' Ash started pulling the tubes and needles off of his body, tossing them on the floor. He had on the same clothes he had worn in Faramia, but at least they were less muddy, though they still showed what he had gone through, mud placed next to blood. ''Now, I have unfinished business to take care of. Oh, and before I forget, how is my throat wound? Is it still infected?'' Ash asked.

''Ash, did that Faralla change your personality? This isn't like you at all.'' Latias said, her voice shaking at the hateful tone in Ash's voice.

''People change when they're fueled by anger and despair, Latias. His best friend, his Lucario, and two Legendaries were killed while he was forced to listen, which is just as bad as seeing in that case. He'll return to normal when he stops being angry.'' Mewtwo said, and was immediately punched in the face by Ash, who's face has an expression of pure hatred in it.

''That's right, I'm angry! If I allowed myself to curse, then my quote right now would fill about ten pages if this was a fanfiction! I! Hate! Faramin!'' Ash yelled, running out the door, screaming, ''I will get you, Faralla!''

Nurse Joy walked in. ''What happened?'' she asked.

''I think Ash has finally gone mad.'' Latias said, shaken. She had always known Ash as more than a friend, but wasn't sure if he felt the same.

Three hours later, in Ash's old house in Pallet Town...

Ash sat in his old bed, making short, sharp clicks to listen to their echoes, bringing back good memories. He had forgotten how small his bed was, or how big he'd grown. He smiled, letting the flood of thoughts take over. He knew he had to find the Faralla, but he didn't know where to look. He realized that he didn't have to look. The Faralla would find him. He sat, waiting for something he couldn't quite grasp, maybe waiting or the Faralla, or for one of his old friends, or maybe for his sight to somehow return. He had lied to his friends, and he even thought of Latias as something more, though he could never tell her. He had told Delia that he wouldn't be a Pokemon Trainer anymore, and she gladly agreed to let him live there, especially after he told her he was now blind.

''Ash! Someone's at the door for you!'' Delia called. Ash walked down the stairs. He had memorized his house's layout, and didn't need his clicks to navigate.

''Who is it?'' he asked, running a mental checklist.

''It's me. I'm standing behind you, Ash.'' a female voice said, ''You're looking at the kitchen.'' Ash mentally crossed out all males on his mental checklist.

''Oh.'' he sad, turning around.

''Why don't you open your eyes? It'll be much easier to see then.'' the female voice said, irritation starting to be noticeable. Ash sensed something move, and lashed his hand out. It connected with something hard, sending it flying outdoors. Ash crossed out all girls who didn't own a huge, hard object in his mind. Only one person was left.

''Misty?'' he asked, feeling for the wall. He was always uneasy when he wasn't touching something.

''Well, duh. It's kind of obvious, isn't it? I mean, I'm the only girl you know with orange hair.'' Misty said, clearly annoyed.

''Not true, Misty. I know someone in Sinnoh with orange hair named Zoey.'' Ash said. ''And I couldn't tell what hair color you had.''

''Maybe you should open your eyes.'' Misty said harshly. This wasn't what she had expected when she had come over.

''You want me to open my eyes so bad? Then fine. I will.'' Ash retorted, opening his eyelids and revealing the empty sockets. Misty made a barfing noise. Ash closed his eyelids.

''W-what happened?'' Misty asked, her voice filled with concern.

''First a swordfight, then an ancient curse. It's annoying, yes, but I've gotten over it. That is, until the past ten or so days.'' Ash said, his face suddenly falling. His sad expression made Misty decide not to press any farther.

''Maybe a Pokemon Battle will help!'' Misty said.

''No, that would just make things worse.'' Ash said. Misty gasped. Ash refusing a Pokemon Battle was like Brock actually getting someone to like him. That is, completely impossible. She could tell how depressed he really was. ''I assume you want answers?''

''Right. But I won't make you tell me anything. It's your decision.'' Misty said.

''I should tell you. After all, you're my oldest friend. Well, basically, I accidentally wandered into the territory of these black creatures called the Faramin, got captured, was forced to listen to the murder of Pikachu, my Lucario, Mew, and Jirachi, somehow regained my sight, destroyed the city with a Shadow sword, and was cursed by a Faralla that I had kicked in the face. I lost my vision then again.'' Ash said, summarizing the last two chapters in one sentence. ''Now do you know why I don't want to battle? All this is my fault. Pikachu and two Legendaries are dead because of me.'' he growled.

He also didn't notice the Shadow Slicer before it entered his ribcage.

2 days later...

Nurse Joy walked sadly into the waiting room. All of the friends Ash had picked up on his journeys were there.

'Any change?'' Max asked, scared for his friend.

''I'm sorry.'' Joy said, lowering her head. ''Ash is gone.''


	6. Journey of the Cursed One

Latias refused to believe that her secret love was dead. She teleported into the surgery room, right next to Ash's form on the bed. ''Ash, wake up!'' she cried, and then saw the huge, purple hole in Ash's chest. She knew immediately upon seeing this that he would never come back. She knew the Faralla had done its job. Ash's face was pale, and his empty eyes were open. He was practically only skin and bones now, and obviously had been in a lot of pain. Latias at least knew he was in a better place now. She thought the Upper Dimensions would be even better now when she finally went there for good.

Behind her, a wisp of foggy light shone in a human form. Its features were all but gone, except for its face. It had crazy, darker-fog colored hair, a sad expression, and, best of all, its eyes had returned with its body's death. Ash floated, his spirit trapped on Pokearth by the Ebony's Touch. Latias got up, deciding not to just teleport away. Ash tried to speak to her, to help, but he couldn't form the words. His wounds had all disappeared in his spirit. The pure soul of Ash Ketchum was completely unable to do anything about his death now. He tried moving, and found it was easy. He shifted nearer to Latias, putting a wispy arm tendril on her shoulder. She shuddered, and looked at him. Not through him, but at him. He was very visible to her Psychic abilities. She was about to scream, but decided it was a hallucination. After all, the _real_ Ash had no eyes, didn't he?

Ash's spirit sat (if that's what you could call it) on the bed next to his dead body. He sadly moved a hand tendril to his form's eyelids, gently pushing them closed. It was this that showed Latias that Ash's spirit was real. She broke down, crying on her secret love's body. Ash comforted her as best as he could, but couldn't tell her his secret now that he couldn't talk. Latias understood that he had traded his voice for his sight.

''How does it feel, dying?'' Latias asked, her tears drying quickly.

Ash found a pencil and paper, pointing to it. Latias picked it up. ''Okay. I'll say the alphabet, and you respond when I get to the letter you need to spell.'' Latias said.

After a while, Ash had spelled out a message. I'm sorry for the screaming in the Pokemon Center. I've been so distraught by the death of my four friends. I considered Pikachu as family. One will do rash things for loved ones. My decisions just lead to people getting hurt. You couldn't understand, Latias. You've only lost a brother. I've lost everything. I'm still hated, even after death. I can't let you be trapped in my problems. Arceus once said, 'I will fight my own fight. Others don't deserve to be hurt because of my errors.' And Mewtwo once said, 'It is not the consequences of one's birth that make one recognized; It is the actions that show who you truly are.' They, and all others, friend or foe, who helped me get through my journeys. And when I stopped listening, it got me cursed and killed. Don't make the same mistakes I did, Latias. Keep your friends close, but keep identity as well. I can't stay with you, no matter how I want to. My selfishness lead to my downfall. I can't let it be yours as well.

Ash started shimmering, slowly disintegrating.

''Don't go!'' Latias cried, trying to catch the foggy light in her clawed arms. She couldn't. She broke down once again after the light had faded.

In the Upper Dimensions...

Arceus stood, peering at Ash's death from the Spectre of Worlds (see my other fanfiction, Between Two Worlds, for more information). He saw the Faralla attack the blind Trainer, driving the Shadow Slicer through his heart. Arceus sighed, a glowing sphere growing over his head. Ash would not be forgotten. Even Arceus believed Ash should be mourned. He released the Judgement-like energy, and the yellow sphere turned green. It exploded, creating meteors, which streaked through the sky, making a sadhearted display of fireworks. The Millenium Comet came very prematurely, creating a new Jirachi on the way. It would shine over Pallet Town for the rest of eternity. The Deoxys swarm flew over the Pokearth, telling whoever would listen of the great tragedy. Dialga and Palkia halted Time and Space, to give their last gifts to the deceased Trainer. The Reverse World filled to the top with purpleish poison clouds, and, for the first time, Giratina didn't care. He went into the real world, making every mirror in existance shine with his Aura. Lugia and Ho-oh became friends, as did all warring Legendaries. The Tree of Beginning grew stony flowers, the Regis living there releasing all who had been captured by the Tree's antibodies. Those released looked dazed, and they solemnly waked out, unsure of what they were doing here. Sir Aaron and his Lucario were revived, and Mew told them what had happened. Aaron didn't understand, but Lucario knew who Ash was. He explained, and Aaron vowed to help Lucario get over his friend's death. Even Kyurem himself, Arceus's opposite and only superior, stopped destroying Unovan areas, and instead helped rebuild. Ash's death would do much more than satisfy the Faralla's thirst for revenge. Ash's death would unify the world, bringing peace to Pokearth at last. But, until then, the Faramin, and all others who had witnessed Ash on the opposite scale from his usual personality.

Three days later, in Pallet Town...

All of Ash's friends were living in a small hotel that had recently been built. They were still grieving over the loss of their friend. They heard a knock, and in the hallway stood a man in black-and-blue robes, a Lucario standing beside him. ''Who are you?'' Anabel asked. She had been the one who answered the knock.

''I am Sir Aaron, of Cameron Palace. This is Lucario. He is a friend of Ash Ketchum. I'm deeply sorry for your loss. Lucario misses him, and he only knew him for a short time.'' the man said, taking out a staff. ''May I come in?''

''And most of that time, Ash was knocking me into the lake.'' Lucario said bluntly, though an edge of sadness lined his telepathic voice. The two were accepted, shuffling into the crowded room. In the middle, he saw a foggy wisp of smoke, which seemed to be communicating with some people. It disappeared, and the ones it had been near began to cry. ''What was the smoke?'' Lucario asked. His sharp eyesight had caught one detail in the smoke. A face. The face of Ash. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe it.

''Ash's spirit. He came to say goodbye.'' May said, touching the air where the fog had been.

''I sense his Aura there. He's not dead. Not yet.'' Lucario said, making everyone gasp. Lucario never lied, and he was the Aura Pokemon. ''I can track his Aura field. But I need something he owned.''

''Everything he owned is with his body.'' Brock said, studying the humanoid Steel-Fighting-Type.

In the Ruins of Alph...

''Cheuacazu!'' the Unown whistle, their portal to the Ruins of Alph reopening. They see a white form floating, and the box of their letters scattered over the hard stone floor. They surround the form, recognizing it as the kid who had sent them back to their home 5 years ago. He smiles as they search the remnants of his mind, connecting themselves to his wishes. A new portal opens, and Faramia is seen through the wormhole. Ash, along with his Unown posse, walks through the portal, shimmering as it closes behind them. Faramia is in perfect condition, the earthquake Ash had described having never existed.

''**_Hello, Ash._**'' the Maxim Farrein said, walking calmly toward the Trainer.

''**_Don't call me that, Maxim Farrein. That is the name of a Pokemon Trainer. I am Asarchi, a Faramin. I'm never going to be called 'Ash' again. Next time you call me that, I really will kill you._**'' Ash said hostilely, his foggy form vibrating.


	7. The Evil King's Plan

''**_Did you dig up my body as promised?_** '' Asarchi asked.

''**_Of course, my Fareil Asarchi. After all, without our King, how will our plan work?_** '' the Maxim Farrein said. On cue, four Farwell (basically Faramin slaves) brought a large, stone coffin. It was ornately decorated in gemstones and Pokemon memorabilia.

Asarchi flew over to the sarcophagus, motioning to the Maxim Farrein, who obediently opened the heavy lid. There, on a silky velvet lining, lay the corpse of Ash Ketchum.

''**_I've always hated this childish form. No matter. I will change when Chrintas arrives. By the way, remind me to congratulate Faralla Chiral for his excellent assassination of me._**'' Asarchi said, touching the dead body's forehead. He disappeared, and Ash's eyes snapped open. He was still missing his eyeballs. He sat up, stretching his already atrophied muscles.

At Ash's grave...

Sir Aaron and his Lucario stood next to the opened grave. Aaron bended down, rubbing his gloved hand along the grave wall. He stood up, rubbing the dirt between his fingers.

''Someone has been here, after Ash died. There is Dark Aura everywhere.'' he said, pulling out a black box.

''I sense it as well. I don't believe it.'' Lucario said, recognizing the Aura traces. ''The Faramin are back.''

Aaron touched the box's lid. It popped open, revealing a green-screened high-tec computer. He pressed a key, and two more screens, on either side of the first, popped up. He punched in some information, frowned, and retyped the data. ''This can't be right. According to this, there is no human DNA here. If my calculations are correct, the only logical answer would be that Ash Ketchum is a Faramin. Either that, or he never existed at all.'' Sir Aaron said, closing the miniature supercomputer. Lucario was silent, knowing that the former was the truth.

''Then who could he be? No normal Faramin has both the ability to shapeshift or bleed.'' Lucario said, equally logical to Sir Aaron's comment.

''There is only one known Faramin with that power. Lucario, I promised myself hundreds of years ago never to tell you this, but I have to. The Faramin's leader, the Fareil Asarchi, has both those powers. He is the most evil of them all. The Maxim Farrein Hondert, the worst of all time, seems like a Magikarp in comparison to him. He cannot be trusted, and those who do trust him usually end up dead, or worse.'' Sir Aaron said gravely, opening the information up in his miniframe computer. Lucario's steady face softened as he read the information as quickly as M5 (from _Short Circuit_, if you have any clue what it is, give yourself a pat on the back). When he finished, he stood still, shocked.

''I've seen that form before. When I was with As- Asarchi, I accidentally touched a Time Flower. It showed battles. The leader looked exactly like Asarchi's Faramin form. But I thought the Time Flowers show the past?'' Lucario said, temporarily lost in memories. He had conveniently neglected to mention another Time Flower he had found while the others were asleep, which had not been shown in _Lucario and the Mystery of Mew_.

''I sense you're not telling me everything. We need as much information we can get if we are to have a chance of defeating Asarchi. I have had firsthand knowledge in this. I was almost dead when I got to the Tree of Beginning because of him.'' Sir Aaron commanded, his eyes flashing red. Lucario had never seen anger in Sir Aaron, but he could clearly sense it now. He decided to spill.

''In another Time Flower, I saw the same battle, only later. There was something huge burning in the background, and it looked like...'' Lucario suddenly realized what it was, and went pale, turning a sickened shade of turquoise. ''He's planning on burning the Tree of Beginning.''

Sir Aaron looked thoughtful, his anger controlled by his mastery of Aura. ''The Tree of Beginning is connected to all life on Pokearth. If Fareil Asarchi succeeds in this plan, we will all be wiped out, and he will have nothing to stand in his way. Do you understand the severity of what you have just said, Lucario?'' Sir Aaron grabbed and held on to Lucario's shoulders, staring at him with pure blue eyes. Lucario's mind flooded with Aaron's memories, of past battles, of future possibilities. For the first time in hundreds of years, Lucario felt like he was still the little Riolu, happily playing, before Asarchi's forces attacked.

Flashback...

_''Rio-lu Rio.'' the hurt Riolu said, making another futile attempt to escape his trapped leg from under the Cameron Palace Forces Rapidash. _Help. Please, help.

_He hears a voice. He sees a man in black-and-blue robes, bearing the Cameron Palace Coat of Arms. The strange man lifts the Rapidash off of the injured Riolu, picking him up gently. The Riolu moans when the man touches his leg. The man shifts the little Emanation Pokemon, letting his leg hang. The man hides in the tops of the trees, and looks at the bundle in his arms._

_''It's okay, little Riolu. You're safe with me. I'm Sir Aaron, Aura Guardian of Cameron Palace. Is your leg the only thing that hurts?'' the man says, setting the Riolu securely in the branches. He reached in his pocket, drawing out gauze and bandages. He gently wraps the Riolu's broken leg, earning grimaces from the poor little Pokemon. Riolu doesn't say anything to answer the question. ''How old are you? You don't look more than a few weeks old.''_

_Riolu nods, and begins to cry._

_''Where are your parents?'' Sir Aaron asks, and the hurt Pokemon answers._

_''Lu rio ri lo rulio.'' Riolu answered sadly. _My Parents were killed.

_''I'm sorry to hear that. Here, I've finished your cast. You'll need to stay in someone's care until your femur and shin heal. I can give you to the Cameron Palace Nurse Joy. She's a much better doctor than I.'' Sir Aaron said, helping the Riolu balance on his arms and good leg on the thick tree limbs._

_''Lu rioluio luca oilru ri.'' Riolu said, and was shocked to hear the 'luca' part. _No. I want to stay with you. You're kind, and modest. A true Aura Master.

_Sir Aaron definitely heard the 'luca'. He was thrilled, both for the sign of evolution, the young Riolu's already developed wisdom, and that the Emanation Pokemon had chosen him. He didn't do his job for the praise, but he did like recognition. ''Riolu, I think you're about ready to evolve.'' he said. Riolu became excited, his head spinning as his happiness rose. He started glowing white, his body mushrooming in size_, _the bumps on his wrists turning into spikes, with another forming on his chest. He became more foxlike, and his eyes showed renewed intelligence. The light faded, and a Lucario was left._

_''Luca-rio!'' he said, holding his arms in an X, pulling them out, his eyes glowing blue. He looked at Sir Aaron, who had begun to leave. ''Where are you going?'' Lucario asked, making Aaron look back._

_''Your leg is healed now. You don't require help anymore. And you're a Lucario now. I shouldn't bother you with my presence. I've always held Lucario and Riolu in the highest regards. They're the reasons that I got to where I am now.'' Aaron said, jumping out of the tree. Lucario teleported out, right in front of Sir Aaron._

_''You have saved my life. Even as a Riolu, I understood that you have a pure heart. My offer as your Pokemon still stands. , though I have evolved.'' Lucario said. Sir Aaron smiled._

_''Then I accept.'' Sir Aaron said. Lucario moved to his side. Together, they would win many wars, their friendship growing every year. After thirteen years of winning battles, Sir Aaron had locked Lucario in the staff, for reasons unknown._

Flashback ended

''This war, Sir Aaron, we cannot lose.'' Lucario said, and Sir Aaron let go of Lucario's shoulders. The two old friends teleported away, to go to Pallet Town.

In Pallet Town...

''I can't believe he really left us.'' Max said, unable to think of anything else to respond to Sir Aaron annd Lucario's story about Asarchi.

''How could Ash be that creep?'' May asked, ''Kind, sweet Ash?''

''I must say, this recipe has gone sour.'' Cilan said, with Iris unable to speak through her tears laying in his lap.

''Well, May, I tried to warn you about him.'' a soft voice said through the window. The Cacturne-dressed Harley appeared. He was immediately punched in the face by May, who absolutely hated him.

Latias sat in her own hotel room, looking at a picture of Ash. She ripped it up with her sharp claws, crying. ''Now I can never tell him how I feel about him.'' The song from _Lion King 2: Simba's Pride _where Kaita and Kovu (did not get those names right) sing about their seperation plays in the background.

In the Upper Dimensions...

Arceus was trying to find Ash's spirit somewhere on Pokearth. He even looked on Earth and Karkhoul (read Close Encounter of the Darkest Kind, by yours truly, me). It unsettled him not to be able to locate the Trainer.

Uxie floated in. He follows Arceus almost everywhere, giving advice and experience to the Alpha Pokemon. ''Is something troubling you, Arceus?'' he asked.

''**_Ash Ketchum has gone missing. Neither his body nor his spirit can be found. The only thing with that kind of power to block me out is the Fareil Asarchi of the Faramin. If he has gotten a hold of Ash's Aura, then even I cannot stop his plans. Only someone he cares about could then. And, unfortunately, he hates everything._**'' Arceus said, finally giving up on searching for the lost Trainer. Little did even Uxie know, but Asarchi _did_ care for one being on Pokearth, but she didn't know that he loved her. And he would never admit to it if someone told him.

**I had to put that last line quickly. Asarchi was holding the Shadow Slicer at my neck. But no need for panic. He's safe and sound once again in Faramia. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! A fourth-chapter poll! To answer the poll, simply send your answer in a review. I will update my writing to fit your needs, and I need reviews. It's a win-win for everybody!**

**Question: Should Asarchi win or lose? And will his secret love be revealed?**

**Answer choices:**

**Lose; reveal his secret love**

**Lose; hide the secret love until the end**

**Win; reveal his secret love**

**Win; hide the secret love until the end**


	8. Ash to Ash, dust to dust

Chapter 5

Ash to Ash, dust to dust

Latias was currently sitting in her hotel room, searching for Ash through a special connection that had formed when she had kissed him. She gave up after the 40th time trying, unable to sense the Aura. It was as if Ash, Asarchi, she reminded herself, hated her even more for that moment. She was at the edge of knowing, she could feel it, but she just couldn't find the familiar Aura trace.

In the Palace of the Fareil...

Asarchi strode calmly through the palace dungeons, stopping at a small cage. Inside the cage was a small, yellow Electric Mouse Pokemon. ''**_Hello, Pikachu. Don't worry. The pain will stop in two months' time, on the day of Chrimin._**'' he said harshly, hitting the already-weak Pikachu with an Aura Sphere. The poor prisoner fainted, swiftly approaching death every day. For those of you who can't guess, Chrimin is the Faramin version of Christmas. **_''Well, duh. It's not that hard to figure it out, Xy-roole.''_** Asarchi said, drawling out the 'Xyrule.'

''**Don't deny me, Asarchi. I created your entire being. Without me, you would still be Ash Ketchum, the kindhearted Pokemon Trainer. Say, that's a good idea.**'' the booming voice of Braxton Xyrule commands. Asarchi sighed.

''**_Can we just get back to the story? I don't want to wait any longer to burn the Tree, and Pikachu's fake blood is wearing off. Oops. Uh, readers, forget I said that! This is an actual adventure, not something written by a teenager in school clothes in his bed, and acted by some characters who may or may not be real._**'' Asarchi said, shaking his palms in front of him. He facepalmed himself, and I, Braxton Xyrule, command this story plot to resume. The Chapter 4 credits roll, and you, reader, restart this chapter, ignoring the fourth-wall things.

Three days earlier, at the Millenium Comet's second appearance...

Ash's spirit sits in his old bed, watching the Millenium Comet in the sky. He is about to fall asleep, when something that looks eerily like a meteor appears. It breaks through his window silently, hitting his bed. Ash looks at the smoldering piece of rock. It looks like a bunch of purple crystals, situated in the same direction. It cracks in half, and a small, yellow-and-white Pokemon is resting in a yellow blanketlike thing. No, it's not Scraggy. This Pokemon's shiny smooth head is star-shaped, and has three turquoise tags, one on each point. Ash looks at it, and its black, white, and blue eyes open. They each have a small, triangular blue indent under them. It looks at Ash, and smiles.

''The Star has chosen my Master!'' it said, the blanket thing unfolds, revealing the Pokemon's wings. It flies over to Ash's spirit, zipping around him.

''I can't be your Master, Jirachi.'' Ash says. ''I'm dead.''

''It doesn't matter, Master! When the Star chooses my Master, he stays my Master! The Star has called me to come to you, and now, I will never leave!'' Jirachi says, setting himself firmly on Ash's shoulder. Of course, Jirachi went straight through, as Ash didn't have a solid form. Jirachi lands softly on the bed, snuggling into Ash's foggy mist as best as he could. Ash pets the Wish Pokemon softly, knowing he couldn't stop the little Steel-Psychic-Type from staying with him until he died. Two days later, Ash left for Faramia, not knowing Jirachi had followed him.

Back in Faramia...

Jirachi saw Asarchi, in the form of Ash, attack his very own Pikachu, and was conflicted between emotions. on one hand, he trusted his Master as his only, and greatest, friend. on the other, he was afraid of this threatening creature that seemed to have taken over Ash's mind. He saw through the Millenium Comet's memories that this innocent-looking man had the blood of Legendaries on his hands. Ash suddenly disappeared. He reappeared behind Jirachi, grabbing the Wish Pokemon's neck. ''**_So you're spying on me. You think you can change my mind. Sorry, but even a Doom Desire from a pathetic tiny Legendary can't even leave a scratch on me._**'' This cruel, pitiless copy of Ash cackled, throttling the small starlike Pokemon.

''I didn't come to bring you back, Ash.'' Jirachi said, wisdom peeking through its young voice. ''I came to be with my Master, and to show him what his leaving caused for his friends.'' Ash tightened his grip, cutting Jirachi's voice off. His Aura flashed red with anger.

''**_You think I care for those idiots? You're just a naive little baby. You know nothing about me._**'' Ash stopped talking all of a sudden, an old memory resurfacing. He remembered the first time he had met his one love, how she looked at him with concern when he fell on the concrete. His Aura returned to normal, his hands releasing Jirachi's sore neck. Jirachi hit the ground, panting. He may have been Legendary, but he was still only three days old. Ash backed away, palms forward, arms stretched out, away from the Wish Pokemon, away from the Palace of the Fariel. His movements seemed slow and confused. His face softened. ''_Help me.'' _he said, his voice slightly more human. ''**_I've spent my entire existance as Asarchi plotting to destroy all life. I see now that I was wrong. But if I don't...Unnhh!_** '' Ash collapsed, the back of his head bleeding slowly. Behind him stood Latias in her human form, anger and hatred at the thing that had taken Ash in her eyes, and the Shadow Slicer in her hands. Jirachi felt a surge of power at the sight of the Shadow Blade. He levitated himself, his Wish Tags glowing white.

''Thank you, Latias. But Asarchi won't stay unconscious forever.'' Jirachi said, poking Ash with his wing.

''I know.'' Latias said sadly.

''**_That's right, pathetic Legendaries. I created the Darkint Gorea, and it cannot hurt me._**'' Asarchi said, rising as if nothing had happened. He quickly shocked Latias with a powerful Thunder Wave, taking the Shadow Slicer from her paralyzed hands. He gingerly held the sharp sword in front of him. ''**_This sword will slowly kill those who are its victims. But I have learned, through two examples, that, to a Legendary Pokemon, it takes the soul as well._**'' Asarchi said, making a tiny incision in Latias's paralyzed shoulder. The sword had grown larger and more powerful in the presence of its creator, and was now the true Darkint Gorea. Latias barely felt the sharp tug as her soul was ripped from her body. As the last of her essence was drained, she smiled, closing her amber eyes. Her body turned to dust as her Aura left, floating away on the breeze. Asarchi looked at Jirachi, who backed away from the deadly Faramin King. ''**_And as for you, little Jirachi, I give you a choice. Stay with me, or meet the same fate as Latias._**''

Jirachi thought for a few seconds, weighing the options. He found his answer. ''I want to be with my Master. I want to stay.'' he said, and the Chapter 5 credits roll.


	9. A Plan Gone Awry

**Before we start with Chapter 6, I'd like to say a few words. If you somehow missed the first five chapters, then you'll be completely lost. I strongly recommend that you read those if you haven't before you get too confused. That will be all. Asarchi's getting edgy to start again.**

In an unknown location somewhere near the Earth's core...

He was asleep. He had been for billions of years. He opened his ancient eyes, pure evil emanating from his body. He had been betrayed, cast down to the Underworld, forced to live His life out in torment.

He was ready for revenge.

In Pallet Town...

''Where is Latias?'' Bianca (the one from Unova) asked, stopping her attempts to brush her Cincinno's fur. She returned the feisty neat freak, and sat the Pokeball in her belt-loops.

''She said she was going to Ash's house.'' Max said, watching his Pokenav intently for any sign of her or Asarchi. They had both seemed to have just disappeared. _First Ash, and now Latias?_ he thought to himself. _Something's going on here, besides Asarchi's tyrannical plans._ His superintelligent mind searched and researched all the possibilities, and none of them were good. He had grown, and was now nearly 15 years old. His mind had sharpened even more. If Ash was truly human, Max would only be a year younger. He suddenly felt something.

''Did anyone else feel that?'' he asked, his head snapping up.

''Feel what?'' May asked.

''It just now felt like something bad just happened.'' Max said, realization crossing his face. ''Latias.'' he breathed. He, and the others, didn't know that the bad thing had nothing to do with Latias. It was the inevitable return of Dillemel.

His Pokenav suddenly beeped. ''Aura of the Eon Pokemon detected.'' it said, beeping again. ''Aura of the Eon Pokemon Latias destroyed. Connection terminated.''

Two months later, in Hoenn...

Asarchi and his army of Faramin went through the world, their final destination nearing daily. Jirachi was at the front, flying next to his Master.

''**_Jirachi, when we get to the Tree of Beginning, I will have to burn it. It is the only way to destroy the most evil of all creatures, even more so than me. He is called Dillemel, and He is so powerful, space and time warp around him. He is, in himself, a paradox. His nickname is the Enigma God. He can destroy without breaking, burn without fire. He can and can't at the same time. Nothing is as powerful as a paradox, Jirachi. That's why you'll need to grant the biggest wish that any Jirachi has ever had to grant. It will take the power of all your ancestors. That's why I killed the last one. I knew that his successor would have the right amount of power._**'' Asarchi said, the wisdom he had picked up as Ash Ketchum in the ways of Pokemon Care and Training showing. ''**_I will wish to return to my true form. When I do, hide. Dillemel has no mercy, no pity, no heart. He will kill you if he sees you._**''

''What about you, Master? The Star can protect the world for a little while.'' Jirachi said, yet again finding a way to implement the Millenium Comet into his conversations.

''**_The Millenium Comet's power will just be broken by Dillemel. And as for me, well, I have an advantage. You see, I'm Dillemel's son._**''

''Fareil Asarchi, you are under arrest for too many reasons to count.'' a voice that sounded like Officer Jenny said from a mmegaphone. Asarchi quickly let out a few clicks to echolocate the policewoman. He sensed a crowd of officers, all with guns. He stopped his huge army, and walked over to the crowd. He let out a few more clicks, raising his arms in the air.

''**_What seems to be the problem, officer?_** '' Asarchi asked, feigning ignorance.

''You know very well what's the problem, Asarchi. You have stolen the body of a Pokemon Trainer and plan to end all life.'' Jenny said, holding handcuffs.

''**_Bravo, bravo, Officer Jenny. But you're missing some key details. First, this body is one hundred percent mine, and second, I don't plan on ending all life. I plan on ridding the world of Dillemel._**'' Asarchi said, lowering his arms. He shot a Flamethrower, melting the handcuffs that Jenny was about to put on him. When he said the Enigma God's name, the officers were pushed back by the sheer power in the name itself. ''**_Now, you may escort me to the Tree of Beginning, or let me go without you. Either way, I'm completing my goal._**''

''We have evidence from the greatest Aura Master of all time, Asarchi. We don't need your side of the story to know what you've done.'' Officer Jenny said, giving an order. Three policemen jumped up, holding Asarchi by his arms, preventing him from moving.

''**_Let me guess. Sir Aaron? How ironic. One of my most famous descendants telling the police about me. He can't be a true Aura Guardian if he needs cops to get to his goals._**'' Asarchi smirked.

''I assure you, I am a true Aura Guardian, Fareil Asarchi.'' a voice said. Asarchi stood still, paralyzed from the neck down by Lucario's Force Palm, which had hit his spinal cord. Sir Aaron and Lucario had already paralyzed the Faramin army. ''It's been a while, hasn't it, Asarchi?''

''**_It has. Jirachi, I wish I could move again._**'' Asarchi said. Jirachi went over to him, and his Wish Tags lit into white. Asarchi raised his arm, which looked purple, and glowed with the same energy that the Darkint Gorea was made of. He opened his eyelids. In the once-empty sockets sat two new eyes. They had a black lens, red iris, and a green, slitlike pupil. In Cameron Palace, miles away, a clock struck 12 o'clock midnight. ''**_Chrimin is beginning. Soon, I will return to my true form. Soon, I will complete the goal I set out to accomplish._**'' Asarchi said, his voice changed. His voice sounded ancient, and evil clearly laced it.. His teeth had sharpened into needlelike fangs.

A blue glow appeared behind him. Asarchi looked at it. There stood the people he had met during his journey. They let go of Mewtwo, looking dizzy from the teleportation.

''We can't let you destroy the Tree of Beginning, Asarchi.'' Mewtwo said in his traditional Battle Stance. Asarchi turned back around, clearly annoyed.

'' **_Let me finish here before I take care of you. It will only take a second._**'' Asarchi said, quickly going into action. He swung a punch at Sir Aaron's solar plexis, crippling him for months afterwards. Max noticed Jirachi.

''Hey, Jirachi. What are you doing here?'' Max asked. Jirachi looked confused.

''**_This isn't the same one, Max. This is my Jirachi._**'' Asarchi said nochalantly. ''**_Now is the time I have been planning for for so long. This is the time of the Rising._**'' The ground started to rumble, cracks splitting the ancient ground. **_''Dillemel is returning.''_** Asarchi started to glow, his body as Ash Ketchum falling away. His body turned completely into the Shadow energy, and he grew to 20 feet tall.

The ground rumbled again. The Tree of Beginning lost a few stone branches. Mew came out, looking for someone to help rebuild its ancestral home. A huge crumbling sound occurred, and something that was an even deeper shade of black than the evil Faramin jutted out. The thing rose, revealing an enormous, older-than-time dragon that was easily 200 feet long. It smashed the Tree's upper branches and trunk to bits with its huge, macelike tail. Asarchi looked at the ones who were against him. The cops backed away, as if saying, ''You take it on. We're done here.'' Mewtwo, Mew, Jirachi, and the Faramin army, which had shaken off the paralysis, stood in a phalanx.

''**_Mewtwo? You're fighting alongside me?_**'' Asarchi asked. Mewtwo nodded.

''I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the world, and to finally be accepted. We fight together, or not at all.'' he answered.

''Mew-Mew!'' Mew said. Translation: Amen! Mew sent out a strange noise that sounded something like ''!&#!&*''. A meteor was seen streaking through the sky. It exploded, and a swarm of millions of Deoxys propelled themselves all over Dillemel, Psycho Boosting him nonstop.

''**What are these pests?**'' Dillemel asked, swatting a large group of them with his tail. Only one that was hit survived. It teleported, reappearing next to Max, who immediately recognized it as the one he had befriended.

''? &'' it said weakly in its computer language. Its purple central core was cracked badly. It fumbled with its tentacles, pulling the core out. Wires stuck to the hard surface. He switched to Attack Forme, barely keeping it together, and started snapping the wires. When the last one broke, the core went gray, and Deoxys was dead. Max held the core, softly crying at the loss. He ran angrily at the evil monster that had killed his friend, core in his pocket, and gave a very hard bite to Dillemel's ankle. Dillemel barely felt it, and simply pinned Max to the ground with his foot.

''**So my son has a little kid do his work for him. I expected more from you, Asarchi. You could join me, and be even more than you are.**'' Dillemel said, reaching his neck down to eat his prize. A sudden meteor shower of yellow energy globs hit his head, distracting him. He rose angrily, a red light shining. All the Deoxys that were swarming him suddenly dropped, their cores drained of power. A white equine stood away from the group of humans/Pokemon, a golden double arc around its thin body. It already was forming another Judgement. ''**Well, well. If it isn't Arceus, my little brother. You might as well give up. I've already won.**'' Enigma Berries started forming all over Dillemel's scales. They popped, forming huge clouds of grey dust. The grey dust clouds melded into a huge dust cumulonimbus, turning inside-out and back again as power coursed through it. It launched itself at Arceus.

''**_Dillemel's most powerful attack. Portal Smash. I know what I have to do. It will kill me, but hopefully it will kill Dillemel as well. I'm sorry, Latias, but I have to do this.''_** Asarchi thought, his quick mind formulating a plan. It was suicide, but it was the only option. He unsheathed the Darkint Gorea. The Portal Smash entered its final stage, disappearing. It would reappear soon, killing Arceus. Asarchi calculated its trajectory and leapt into action.

_This is the end of Arceus. This is the end of the world._ Arceus thought, knowing there was no escape. He saw the deadly cloud reappear, and accepted his fate. Just before it hit, Arceus saw Asarchi, Darkint Gorea drawn, leap in front of him, holding back the Portal Smash with the sheer power of Shadows. A blinding flash ensued as Shadows and Darkness collided, Sword against Cloud, Asarchi against Dillemel. ''**_Why are you saving your enemy, Asarchi?_** '' Arceus asked, using Recover to power Asarchi up more. Asarchi was sweating with the stress of the cloud of power.

''**_Ev-en yo-u des-er-ve to li-ve. W-e ma-y b-e en-e-mies, but w-e bo-th fi-gh-t fo-r th-e go-od o-f t-he wo-rl-d._**'' Asarchi said. His feet started slipping, the Portal Smash strengthening. Arceus put his front legs on the Darkint Gorea, adding his power as well. ''**_Ar-ce-us. Y-ou-'ll d-ie i-f y-ou ar-e c-ut._**'' Asarchi's muscles tensed under the intense pressure that no normal human could withstand.

''**_Dillemel has less chance against two of his relatives, Asarchi. Brother and Son, we will defeat the Deadly One._**''

The humans and Pokemon watched as Light and Shadows worked together for the first time to destroy the biggest threat in the known, and unknown, universe. There, at the Tree of Beginning on Chrimin's early hours, the bond between Good and Evil would strengthen infinitely.

**Hey, it's Braxton Xyrule here. Here, in Chapter 6 of When Darkness Closes in, I'm finally saying a disclaimer. I don't own Pokemon. I do own Faramin, Palmo Pokemon, and Palmo moves like Soul Reap. By the way, the Darkint Gorea is a stronger version of the reaping stick that all X-Reaper (my Shadow-Dark Type fully evolved Palmo starter Pokemon) own. They also can take souls. Now for the basics. R&R, no flaming, give constructive criticism, yadda yadda yadda. Thanks for watching, and may the light of Jirachi shine in your future.**


	10. Shadow Concept

Asarchi felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked, and saw, of all things possible, Victini, who wrapped her small arms around his neck, giving him immense power jolts. The Portal Smash was suddenly hit, and never stopping, by a multicolored array of moves. Zekrom, Mewtwo, Jirachi, and Giratina repeatedly protected themselves and hit the huge, steadily increasing cloud, using their most powerful moves. Asarchi looked behind him. There stood, flew, and swam every single Legendary, each using their strongest moves.

''**You will never defeat me. I cannot lose!**'' Dillemel angrily yelled, and started with his own barrage of attacks, all the while exponentially increasing the Portal Smash's power. Onle Asarchi and Arceus heard the microscopic, almost nonexistant hint of fear in the supposedly invulnerable dragon. The Legendaries, as well as all Pokemon, captured or wild, turned their moves up to full power. Dillemel relentlessly added more and more energy into the Portal Smash, never running out himself. The light the two titanic powers were creating was blinding, obscuring anything from the humans and non-Legendaries around them. Mew used her Self-Replicate, a Palmonian move similar to Double Team, only the copies deal damage as well, and her copies instantly started using Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, and Rock Wrecker. Asarchi's foot moved forward, followed by the other. The Legendaries', even Arceus's, power wore out, and their attacks ceased. But Asarchi moved on, fighting the evil of Dillemel. He saw Dillemel reach down and snap Max's neck, killing him. This was the final straw for Asarchi. The Darkint Gorea turned white, elongating, pure emotion bringing the souls, especially one of them, to use their respective powers to destroy the Portal Smash. Asarchi reached Dillemel, and the Portal Smash literally exploded, creating an enormous crater that barely missed the line of observers.

''**_You will never kill another soul again, Dillemel. One who kills a friend of Asarchi, never sees another day. You will die. This I can assure you. You will die, and you cannot stop me. I am the new Shadow Lord, and I protect the world._**'' Dillemel had a look of surprise and actual horror on his stone-hard face. He reached down to kill his only son. Asarchi screeched, a long, sharp KYURREEEEKKKK! that reverberated throughout the valley, and sent his own Portal Smash, powwered by his own feverish emotion. It smashed into Dillemel's chest, exploding inside of the Enigma God's heart. The blast spread, engulfing everything around it. Asarchi smiled, accepting his final decision, and threw the Darkint Gorea, whispering ''**_You are freed, Latias._**'' The sword hit the ground near the exhausted Legendaries, and a new flash was made. When it cleared, three Legendaries, a Mew, Jirachi, and Latias were there. Mew and Jirachi were simply confused, but Latias knew exactly what was happening. She saw as Asarchi was swallowed by the powerful Portal Smash, and saw, through the smoke, as his cells were ripped apart.

''NO!'' she screamed, and would have run if Mewtwo hadn't held her back.

''He's truly gone, Latias. He destroyed Dillemel, but made the ultimate sacrifice.'' Mewtwo said, and Latias started crying. The Portal Smash remnants disappeared, and everyone could see that nothing was left. Except for a single, shadowy core. The Shadow Lord's mark.

3 years later, on Chrimin morning...

Latias sat at the spot where Asarchi had died three years before. She came here every year on this day, remembering what had happened. Alongside her went the new Shadow Lord, a small, scrawny boy whom Latias had named Lucifer.

''Did you love Dad?'' Lucifer asked. Even as a child, he had matured quickly. He may have been only three years old, but he had the maturity of a 16-year-old.

''Yes.'' Latias said softly, sharing her memories of Asarchi with the small kid next to her.

They didn't know that, deep in the Underworld, Asarchi was still alive.


End file.
